Did California International Marathon Attracts Thousands in Sacramento?
FOLSOM, CA – Huge crowds are starting to converge on the Sacramento area. They’re coming for the 27th annual California International Marathon which gets under at 7 a.m. Sunday. Organizers expect 50,000 spectators to come see 7,500 runners. Race officials believe the runners, supporters and volunteers will pour $7.7 million into the local economy. Erin Whatley hopes to cash in on the race. In October, she opened two shops, Folsom Bike and Folsom Grind, across from the race’s starting line at the intersection of Auburn-Folsom and Folsom Dam roads. “It’s a hard time to open a business, but this is our passion,” said Whatley, who believes the extra crowds will help her bottom line. She’s hired extra staff and stocked extra coffee and other goodies in the coffee shop. “We’re actually going to open earlier on Sunday to accommodate the 7,000 runners that will be starting outside of our shop,” Whatley said. “We’re extremely excited about it.” Whatley said she’s made a deal with race officials
